Hometown visions translated to canvas

“We gave them primary-color paint and a canvas. We provided the materials. All they had to do was provide the talent,’’ said Sarah Hannan, the center’s executive director.

At Whitman-Hanson High School, 22 students brainstormed ways to get images from both towns into the picture.

“Whitman is known as the home of the state cookie, the Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie,’’ the students wrote in their artist statement for the piece. “Hanson is known for its cranberry bogs and being the home of Ocean Spray. So, to bring both together, we decided to make the school out of cookie crumbs with varied amounts of chocolate chips for stone and dried cranberries as bricks.’’

You can expect “many layers of varnish’’ to secure the final product, said Heather Collins, director of community programs at the center, who coordinated the school installation project.

The South Shore Art Center first tried the “our town’’ concept for its 50-year anniversary festival six years ago.

“We were blown away by the creativity and the concepts the high school kids came up with,’’ Collins said. “It was the drawing card of the festival.’’ This year, even more schools are participating, and once again diversity rules in the students’ contributions, she said.

At Norwell High, art students decided to put the focus on the town’s North River. “Not only is it picturesque, but it also exemplifies the unifying elements of the town,’’ the students wrote in their statement. Deciding to paint a view of the river from the historic boat house near the town common, the students considered various ways to paint the vista, eventually coming up with a solid plan.

“We decided to paint each square as an individual piece, representing each person’s unique point of view.’’ When you step back, you see the big picture “representing how all of the people in the town act as a community,’’ they said.